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Pet Tales: Ensure your pets have a happy and safe 'Howl-o-ween'

Heather Warlick: Halloween decorations and candy get us into the Halloween spirit but can pose safety risks for pets and children. Here are tips from White Oaks Veterinary Clinic for avoiding some of those hazards.

Halloween safety is an important topic, both for children and pets. Both are highly inquisitive and both can get themselves into trouble when it comes to all those intriguing decorations.

Here are some important tips from the pet-lovers at White Oaks Veterinary Clinic for keeping your pets safe and ensuring a fun “Howl-o-ween.”

Keep jack-o-lanterns with lit candles away from all pets. Strings of lights should be kept with the cords bundled and out of reach. Decorative plastic pieces on lights can look especially inviting but if ingested they can cause choking or intestinal blockage.

All those creative costumes, painted faces and fright wigs can be especially unnerving to pets, so it's wise to keep them in a separate room with white noise playing or a radio to buffer the noise

“Unfortunately, many pets get scared from all the commotion,” Dr. Jennifer Bianchi, owner of White Oaks Veterinary Clinic said. “This can end up as a dog bite or lost pet when they manage to slip out an open door.”

Halloween candy is just as enticing to pets as it is to humans, so keep all candy out of reach, preferably in an upper cupboard. Chocolate is highly toxic for dogs and cats. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. Raisins and macadamia nuts are also bad and can cause kidney damage. If a pet does get to the candy stash, symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures. Call your vet immediately or the Pet Poison Hotline at (800) 213-6680.

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Since graduating from University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism, Staff Writer Heather Warlick has written stories for The Oklahoman's Life section. Her beats have included science, health, home and garden, family,...